GDPR in a vet practiceRGPD
The GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) applies to the personal data of pet owners and animal keepers that a vet practice collects: identity, contact details, invoices, reminders and communications.
The practice is the data controller; its software publisher acts as a processor. An animal’s medical information is not, in itself, health data under the GDPR, which concerns the health of a natural person; data revealing the owner’s health (an assistance dog, for instance) is.
The French data protection authority (CNIL) has no vet-specific framework, so its framework for commercial activities applies: data kept for the duration of the relationship, marketing up to 3 years after the last contact, accounting records for 10 years. Since 3 August 2026, the general terms of operation of each DPE must include GDPR information.
Sources
See also
- DPE The DPE is, under article R242-53 of the French Rural Code, the registered premises where vets practise, accessible to them at all times.
- PMS A veterinary PMS (practice management system) is the practice software that manages appointments, patient and client records, prescribing, dispensing, stock, invoicing and payments.